UK unveils new extremism definition amid rise in hate crimes against Jews, Muslims
London, UK Reuters Britain unveiled a new definition of extremism on Thursday in response to an eruption of hate crimes against Jews and Muslims since the 7th October Hamas attacks on Israel, although critics said the change risked infringing on freedom of speech. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak warned that Britain’s multi-ethnic democracy […]
London police chief calls for clarity on handling extremism at protests
London, UKReuters Britain’s most senior police officer said on Sunday he would support a review into the legal definition of extremism in response to criticism of the way his officers handled pro-Palestinian protests in London. Anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents have surged in Britain since a deadly rampage by Hamas gunmen in Israel on 7th October, […]
Biden asks Americans to honour September 11 dead by rejecting extremism
Washington DC, US Reuters President Joe Biden urged Americans on Monday not to succumb to the “poisonous politics of difference and division” as he sought to revive the spirit of national unity after the deadly 11th September, 2001, attacks 22 years ago. “It shouldn’t take a national tragedy to remind us of the power of […]
Facebook asks: Are your friends becoming extremists?
Reuters Facebook Inc is starting to warn some users they might have seen “extremist content” on the social media site, the company said on Thursday. Screenshots shared on Twitter showed a notice asking “Are you concerned that someone you know is becoming an extremist?” and another that alerted users “you may have been exposed to […]
Essay: The creeping radicalisation of white evangelicals
In an article first published on Religion News Service, DOUG PAGITT, executive director of Vote Common Good, explains why he was among the more than 500 faith leaders who signed a letter released this week calling on church leaders to tackle “radicalised Christian nationalism” within their communities…
Tajik pastor freed after three years in prison for “singing extremist songs in church”
World Watch Monitor A Protestant pastor sentenced to three years in prison for “singing extremist songs in church and so inciting religious hatred” has been freed three months early (he was due to be freed in March, 2020). Bakhrom Kholmatov, 42, was sentenced in July, 2017, and has served his term in a prison in […]
Two reports show fewer Americans involved in incidents of Muslim extremism in 2017
RNS Rescue personnel help injured people after a car ran into a large group of protesters after a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, on 12th August, 2017. One person was killed and 19 were injured in the incident. PICTURE: Steve Helber/AP Photo. To hear it from the Trump administration, Muslim extremists pose the greatest […]
Russian Patriarch and UK archbishop call for greater support for persecuted Christians
World Watch Monitor The Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Archbishop of Canterbury have called for more aid to reach Middle Eastern refugees, especially Christians, and for robust safeguards against extremist ideology, which they say has spread “like an epidemic”. Patriarch Kirill and Archbishop Justin Welby released a joint statement thanking God for the opportunity […]